CITIZEN X
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Sound format: Dolby Stereo
1980's Russia: The true story of a low-paid forensics expert (Stephen Rea) and his struggle to overcome the paranoia and bureaucracy of his Communist bosses whilst searching for serial killer Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), who tortured, killed and cannibalized dozens of young people and children over a period of eight years.
Anchored by Rea's committed performance as the dogged pathologist-cum-detective who risked his reputation and livelihood in pursuit of Russia's most prolific mass murderer, CITIZEN X - a conflation of events outlined in Robert Cullen's book 'The Killer Department' - points the finger of blame at an unyielding political system which allowed a monster to operate virtually unhindered for almost a decade. Veteran Brit actor Joss Ackland essays the role of a hardline Communist official whose allegiance to the State proves the single biggest obstacle to the apprehension of Chikatilo, while Donald Sutherland suffers manfully as the only high-ranking officer prepared to assist Rea's investigation, at great personal sacrifice.
Writer-director Chris Gerolmo's bleak but compelling film marshals a wealth of information, conveyed for the most part through dialogue rather than action, as the body count rises and the authorities struggle to hide their secrets from the outside world. Crucially, Chikatilo is portrayed as a desperate man, trapped in appalling social conditions (he's regularly humiliated by workmates and lives with a shrewish, loveless wife), whose repressed emotions and psychopathic tendencies find expression in appalling acts of violence (depicted mostly in long shot, with the worst mutilations occurring off-screen). Fine technical credits, excellent performances, including Max von Sydow in a small - but pivotal - cameo role.
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Sound format: Dolby Stereo
1980's Russia: The true story of a low-paid forensics expert (Stephen Rea) and his struggle to overcome the paranoia and bureaucracy of his Communist bosses whilst searching for serial killer Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), who tortured, killed and cannibalized dozens of young people and children over a period of eight years.
Anchored by Rea's committed performance as the dogged pathologist-cum-detective who risked his reputation and livelihood in pursuit of Russia's most prolific mass murderer, CITIZEN X - a conflation of events outlined in Robert Cullen's book 'The Killer Department' - points the finger of blame at an unyielding political system which allowed a monster to operate virtually unhindered for almost a decade. Veteran Brit actor Joss Ackland essays the role of a hardline Communist official whose allegiance to the State proves the single biggest obstacle to the apprehension of Chikatilo, while Donald Sutherland suffers manfully as the only high-ranking officer prepared to assist Rea's investigation, at great personal sacrifice.
Writer-director Chris Gerolmo's bleak but compelling film marshals a wealth of information, conveyed for the most part through dialogue rather than action, as the body count rises and the authorities struggle to hide their secrets from the outside world. Crucially, Chikatilo is portrayed as a desperate man, trapped in appalling social conditions (he's regularly humiliated by workmates and lives with a shrewish, loveless wife), whose repressed emotions and psychopathic tendencies find expression in appalling acts of violence (depicted mostly in long shot, with the worst mutilations occurring off-screen). Fine technical credits, excellent performances, including Max von Sydow in a small - but pivotal - cameo role.